


An Image, Evocative, Like the Scent of Peaches

by Eratoschild



Category: Final Fantasy XV
Genre: Awkward Flirting, Chill XV, Crushes, M/M, Photography, Promnis - Freeform, Promnis Week 2018, awkward moments
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-01-22
Updated: 2018-01-22
Packaged: 2019-03-08 00:20:36
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,860
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13446534
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Eratoschild/pseuds/Eratoschild
Summary: Prompto is working on his photography in the marketplace when he spots a familiar face.





	An Image, Evocative, Like the Scent of Peaches

**Author's Note:**

> Written for Promnis Week 2018, the prompt “Can I take a picture of you like this?” It quickly got away from photography.

Prompto stood against a column in the middle of the market place, camera halfway to his eye, looking for another shot. He'd come here to get a feel for a new lens and to practice candid portraiture. This was an excellent vantage point with view of all directions and many different stands and stalls. He was especially happy with a shot he'd just snapped of one stall keeper fussing over a shelf full of half-filled spice jars.

Scanning for his next subject, he spied a familiar face one stall over, speaking with a fruit vendor. He lined up a shot, adjusted his focus- too sharp, then too soft, then, perfect. Click. Click. Click. He snapped several shots before examining his work. Five shots on all. Four of them decent ones but the last, wow.

The subject? Ignis Scientia. Royal Advisor to Prompto's own best friend, quite possibly the hottest guy he'd ever laid eyes on and unquestionably the most intimidating. Noctis was the Crown Prince himself, but behind the title, duty and obligations, he was just a regular dork like Prompto. Gladio was huge. And looked terrifying. But when you got to know him, he was a sappy teddy bear who loved romance novels and adored his kid sister.

But Ignis? What was he? If asked, Prompto could probably wax eye-rollingly poetic about those green eyes that could see right into you, that maddeningly perfect hair, the way his absurdly-printed shirts clung to him just…the way they did…and how his demeanor could shift from stalking through a room like he owned the place to reverent and deferential to coiled and lethal with an otherworldly seamlessness, his voice, low and smooth with that accent, and the few times he’d gotten close enough to notice, a light, herbal scent around him- if it was the soap he used, or a hair product or a cologne, Prompto had no idea, nor did he care.

None of this answered his questions though. And the photo in front of him only raised more: Ignis, holding a peach up to his nose. he appeared to be sniffing it delicately, as if judging its quality for purchase. But the expression on his face said so much more than discerning the ripeness of a piece of fruit. His eyes were a little far away, as if recalling a pleasant memory. A small smile graced his lips, turning up but slightly at the corners. _What was he thinking of?_ The longer he studied the shot, the more he felt he had somehow intruded on a moment he shouldn’t have. 

He could easily delete the photo, but that felt somehow dishonest. He wasn’t really sure how Ignis felt about being photographed unaware but it just seemed wrong. And if he was being completely honest with himself, he wanted to keep that picture.

Before he realized what he was doing, Pompto was at the stall next to Ignis, who had just finished paying for his purchase. “Hey, um, do you have a minute? Can I ask you something?” What was he doing?

“What? Oh! Prompto, my apologies. What can I do for you?”  


“Um, well, you see,” he ran his fingers through the back of his hair nervously, “I was taking some photos, just practicing candid portraits y’know?” He stopped, waiting for a reaction. 

When he didn’t continue, Ignis spoke. “It sounds to me like you’re trying to ask my permission to take my photo, but I’m not certain how candid it would be then?” His state seemed to be somewhere between amused and uncertain.

“Well, um…not exactly. See, I already took a couple, from over there.” He pointed to where he had been standing a minute ago. 

“I see.”

“I guess what I’m trying to ask is, since I didn’t ask before, do you want me to delete them? I was looking at them for a minute there and I suddenly felt like maybe I had invaded your privacy or something?”

Ignis didn’t say anything for a few unending seconds, simply gave him a long, curious look. Finally he asked “May I see them?”

“Wha- um,” Prompto had a brief moment of silent panic. No, he had already made up his mind to delete them if Ignis wished it. And it's not like they were unflattering shots either. “Yeah. Sure.” He handed over the camera. “They’re the last like, five shots.”

He tried- unsuccessfully- not to fidget. It was hard, no, impossible to discern what the other man was thinking as he scrolled through them. Eyes were downcast to scrutinize the image on the screen. Finally- it must have been only a few seconds but it felt like an era, green eyes met his, lips parted as if interrupted mid-sentence but no sound came out.

“I-I'm sorry, they're not great. I can delete them!”

A slow inward breath, a flick of tongue across a lower lip and finally, words: “Quite the contrary. If I may be so immodest as to say so of a picture of myself, this,” one gloved finger gestured at the screen, “is really rather lovely.” It did not escape Prompto’s notice that a faint blush was rising across his cheekbones as he spoke.

“You think so?”

Ignis nodded. “May I look at some of the others?”

“Uhhh yeah. Go ahead. Um hey, speaking of permission though. Is it okay, for future reference?”

“Yes, that’s fine, Thank you for asking. Just as long as you don’t capture anything…compromising. Then we might have a problem.” His tone remained cordial but somehow this made the words more threatening.

“What? Compro- what would I-Probl-?”

“Breathe, Prompto. I’m joking.”

“Oh! Heh. Of course you are! Yeah, got it,” he agreed. “So um, If you don’t mind me asking, just curious what I caught there. What were you thinking of? It looks like you were remembering something. Never mind, damn that was nosey, forget I asked!”

But there was that blush again, deeper this time.

 

“Oh, hmmm,” he shrugged one shoulder. “Yes, you could say that. It reminded me of someone that’s all.” He handed the camera back, Prompto stashed it in his bag.

He was relieved that Prompto seemed to find that a satisfactory answer. “Would you care to split one with me?” he asked fishing one of the peaches from the bag and taking a small folding knife from his pocket.

“Okay, sure.”

He slid the knife quickly around the fruit’s seam, folded it and twisted the peach until it came apart, then held out one half in offering. A bit of juice trickled down his wrist. He tried to ignore it but felt a sudden heat rising as blue eyes clearly noticed and seemed to fixate on the trail the droplet was creating. He saw the wheels turning, Prompto’s hand moving towards his. He maintained eye contact, took a half step back, willed his expression to remain completely inscrutable and brought his wrist up to lick the juice from it.

It was an irrational reaction, he realized this as soon as he stepped back. Prompto may have noticed the juice but here was merely reaching out to take what was being handed to him.

“A-apologies,” he stammered, stepping forward once more and holding it out again.

The reply was an absent “Yeah, it’s ok. Don't worry about it.”

 

_It reminded me of someone…. It reminded me of someone…. It reminded me of someone._

Prompto hadn’t thought to question of whom he might have been thinking. Hell, he had just about forgotten the incident. Wouldn’t have even thought of it if he hadn’t noticed that damned drop of juice. But there it was. And there was the shift in body language that screamed _Don’t come a step closer!_ Ignis’s tongue found his own wrist, Prompto’s throat went dry and in a second it was all over. 

He accepted his half of the fruit with a slightly unsteady hand. “Easy enough to pass off as a joke, I know,” remarked Ignis with a small smile. “Just bring some levity to an awkward moment and let it be merely that?”

“Yeah. Guess so. I kinda forgot about that. Figured you had too.” He said with a shrug and ahope that he sounded nonchalant.

_That_ was a few weeks ago. A harmless incident, or so he thought, after tripping and causing Ignis to spill a bowl of sliced peaches all over the place, the two of them landing tangled together. While attempting to disengage, Prompto had noticed dribbles of juice on Ignis’s wrist and just as he said, in an attempt to bring levity to an awkward situation, had grabbed his wrist and licked the juice off. They had a laugh, cleaned up the mess, and forgot about it. Or, he had anyway, after some effort, put it out of his mind. Apparently he was the only one.

Easy enough to leave as a joke at the time, but now that he was reminded, he couldn’t get the taste of sweet mixed with faint salt of skin, that herbal scent and body heat from the close contact out of his mind. He recalled his heart pounding- just like it was now- in the brief second or two they’d been still on the floor legs intertwined, what could easily have been a much less innocent situation, before pulling apart.

“As it happens, I haven’t forgotten. It’s not every day a cute blond comes along and sweeps me off my feet, you know.”

_Cute? CUTE? Ignis Scientia just called him cute? What the Six did he say in response to that?_

Before he could think, an answer was flying out of his mouth. “Well, I’m kinda picky about which hot royal advisors I lick, so-“ When his brain caught up, he was mortified. Did he really just say that? He could feel his face turning incandescent, and buried it in his palms. “ _Please_ forget I said that?”

“I don’t think I can.”

“Oh my gods.”

He panicked. And ran, only stopping when he got to the other end of the market. He couldn't believe he’d said that. He was pretty sure he'd never be able to face Ignis again. 

Then his phone chimed, indicating a message received. Gingerly, he fished it from his pocket and, chewing furiously at his lip, turned it over, not sure he wanted to look at the screen. His fear confirmed, it was from Ignis.

He unlocked the screen, took a few deep breaths and prepared to rip off the proverbial bandage. As the words on the screen processed through his mind, he nearly dropped the phone.

_I am glad to know that you are selective in which hot royal advisors you lick. Circumstances being what they are, the pool from which to choose is rather limited but I do hope you would remain equally discriminating were it larger. That said, I also hope that I have not scared you off. I was wondering if you might like to have dinner with me on Friday evening?”_

His fingers shook as he tapped out a reply:

_Yes. But only if we go somewhere that doesn't serve peaches._


End file.
